AESTHETICS

In our quest for knowledge of form, where does aesthetics fit in? Are aesthetics and holistic form cognition supportive, or mutually exclusive? Goodman, in their book Language of Art, gives their take on the matter in this passage:

“This subsumption of aesthetics under cognitive excellence calls for one more reminder that the cognitive, while contrasted with both the practical and the passive, does not exclude the sensory or the emotive, that what we know thru art is felt in our bones, and nerves and muscles as well as grasped by our minds, that all the sensitivity and responsiveness of the organism participates in the invention and interpretation of symbols.” Goodman. p 258.

We discover and understand the world with what we symbolize; what we draw. Our cognition of form, with drawing, is a whole body experience. We sense this. We emote this. Aesthetic value is the direct and natural result of cognitive excellence. Our forms can be proven mathematically. They are time-based forms. Without holistic cognition, aesthetics are irrelevant.

“Symbolization, then, is to be judged how well it serves the cognitive purpose: by the delicacy of its discriminations and the aptness of its allusions; by the way it works in grasping, exploring, and informing the world; by how it analyzes, sorts orders, and organizes; by how it participates in the making, manipulation, retention, and transformation of knowledge.” p 258.

Transparent Drawing is pure cognition. It discriminates, explores, analyzes and transforms knowledge. We have re written the elements of art: see The Elements. In the same manner, we provide a structure which shifts the cultural placement of aesthetics. This shift is from subjective / emotional / intuitive to, to use Goodman’s term, cognitive excellence. This shift is possible with the following TD system elements:
–Provenance Quotient: how did you generate your idea?
–Authenticity: future design currency.
–Unity of Opposites: clarity over style, solution over expression, etc.

With a transparent drawing mindset, we increase the cognitive excellence of our Form Generation and Form Analysis. With this elevation, the overall aesthetic quotient is increased. Just as we say that there is no bad drawing. We can also say that there is no ugly cognition.

1. Goodman, Nelson. Languages of Art. Bobbs-Merrill Co. Inc., New York. 1968